Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience. It provides students with the opportunity to learn a new language, embrace a different culture, and create friendships they could never have made back home. However, it’s important that when you’re in another country, you behave appropriately. Otherwise, you might just get sent back home.
When one teenager realized that her sister was being relentlessly bullied by a foreign exchange student, she decided that it was time to take matters into her own hands. Below, you’ll find the full story of pro-revenge that she posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.
When this woman was in high school, her sister was relentlessly bullied by a foreign exchange student
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
So she decided to take matters into her own hands and seek revenge
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: FreeWhaleMedia / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: BibiLittle
Image credits: Yan Krukau / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Over 20,000 foreign exchange students study in American high schools every year
While it might sound like something out of a movie, apparently, it’s quite common for teenagers from all over the globe to spend some time in the United States as part of an exchange student program. In fact, STS Foundation reports that over 20,000 high school students travel to the U.S. to study each year.
These programs are popular because they provide students with a unique high school experience. They get to perfect their English, participate in American extracurricular activities, experience a new culture, and find out just how realistic all of the American TV shows and films they’ve seen are. Plus, they often get the opportunity to travel around and see some of the nation’s most famous landmarks.
However, it’s not always easy for a teen to spend months away from their home country. They might experience severe culture shocks and feel intense homesickness. Great Learning notes that they can also face language barriers and have trouble making friends. They might even be harassed or discriminated against based on their culture.
These students might struggle to adapt to the American school system, if it is quite different from how they studied in their home country. And they might feel out of place if they can’t connect with anyone who speaks their native language or who shares the same cultural background.
But regardless of how difficult it may be to study abroad, those challenges do not at all justify being a bully. One multi-national study across 83 countries found that nearly one-third of adolescents have experienced bullying. This is already a significant issue for high school students, but there’s no excuse for teens to be cruel to one another.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Bullying is a serious issue that should never be tolerated
Over 41% of students who have been bullied also report that they’re worried about it happening again. The most common types of bullying nowadays are having rumors spread about victims and being called names. And this behavior is far from harmless.
Deconstructing Stigma reports that bullying can take a significant toll on victims’ self-esteem. It can also increase their self-criticism and may cause them to self-isolate. The CDC warns that bullying can lead to social and emotional distress, self-harm, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, lower academic achievement, and sometimes even dropping out of school.
While some parents might assume that being bullied is a rite of passage or that it builds character, it’s a serious issue that should never be swept under the rug. It’s certainly not going to be easy for schools to eliminate bullying, but there are certain strategies they can implement to mitigate it.
SchoolSafety.gov recommends that administrators build a safe and supportive learning environment. They should implement social and emotional learning, as well as academic learning. There should be strict policies in place to address bullying, so students don’t feel like they can get away with treating one another cruelly.
And it’s best if they can get both parents and students involved. If moms and dads are aware of what’s going on with their students, they might be able to nip bullying in the bud. Then, hopefully, students won’t have to take revenge into their own hands.
Many readers applauded the author for her revenge, and she joined in on the conversation
However, some thought that the author took things too far
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